Hamilton boss Alex Neil urges his side to stay in the title race

Neil hopes Accies can claw points back in the run-in

Hamilton boss Alex Neil hopes his side can claw back some of Dundee's lead

Alex Neil admits the league run-in will be a test of his squad’s strength as they chase leaders Dundee – but he will be content as long as they still have a chance.

The New Douglas Park gaffer has always said the last nine games will be crucial to the title’s destination, and hopes his side can hang in there.

That starts on Saturday against Raith Rovers at Stark’s Park, and Neil hopes for a response to the 1-0 defeat against Dundee at Dens Park.

He said: “This is going to be a real test of what the squad is made of; we’re at the crunch part of the season now, with 13 games left.

“Every game from now until the end of the season is vitally important to us. We’ve got to try to put as many points on the board as we can. Dundee have now stretched their lead to four points above us and we’ve got to try and claw back as many of those points as we can.

“It was disappointing on Saturday but we’ve got 13 games left and if I can get everybody back from suspension and get myself fit, that will help. We need to try and keep the gap between us and the top of the table to the minimum and hopefully we can have a good run-in.

“I’m probably a good three or four weeks away at least at the moment, but the rest of the squad are there, they’re available, and they need to step up to the plate.”